Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Turkey has requested an Interpol Red Notice for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a case concerning the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a Gaza-bound civilian aid mission.
In a post on X on Friday, August 21, Turkish Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said proceedings were continuing before Istanbul’s 11th High Criminal Court against 35 defendants, including Netanyahu and Israeli official Afek Moskovitch.
Gurlek said arrest warrants had been issued against Netanyahu and Moskovitch on July 14 on charges including genocide. He said the Justice Ministry had asked the Interior Ministry to seek Interpol Red Notices for the two, with relevant documents also forwarded to the Foreign Ministry.
The case concerns the interception of activists attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza in international waters. Turkish authorities have cited charges including crimes against humanity, genocide, aggravated deprivation of liberty, intentional injury, torture, damage to property, aggravated robbery and hijacking of transport vehicles.
An Interpol Red Notice is a request to law enforcement authorities worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender or similar legal action. It is not an international arrest warrant, and Interpol reviews requests before deciding whether to publish a notice, Reuters reported.
The Global Sumud Flotilla departed from the Turkish port of Marmaris on May 14, with dozens of boats carrying more than 400 activists from about 40 countries.
According to organisers, Israeli forces intercepted the vessels in international waters on May 18 and 19, about 460 kilometres from Gaza, and detained all 429 people aboard. Most participants were later deported to Istanbul.
Several participants subsequently alleged that they had been beaten or otherwise mistreated while in Israeli custody.
Netanyahu’s office rejected Turkey’s move and called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan an “antisemitic dictator”.
The statement accused Erdogan of massacring Kurds, harbouring Hamas members, occupying half of Cyprus and jailing journalists and politicians who oppose him. It also accused him of seeking to extend his aggression against Israel into Syria.
“Erdogan’s pathetic attempt to intimidate the leaders and soldiers of Israel, the only true democracy in the Middle East, will go nowhere,” the statement said.
The Turkish proceedings are separate from the arrest warrant issued against Netanyahu by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in November 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel rejects the allegations and disputes the ICC’s jurisdiction.
This post was last modified on August 22, 2026 3:14 pm